Advocacy and the Law

LAWS31072 Advocacy and the Law 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 3 Neil Allen Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 By a combination of lectures and fortnightly workshops, this unit will enable students to learn about, practise, and observe the art of oral and written advocacy. We will cover: The ethics of advocates, criminal and civil advocacy, witness handling, critical thinking and written and oral advocacy in the appellate courts.The course will assess their ability to formulate and present written (50%) and oral (50%) legal argument at the appellate level. Such skills will be developed during workshops, which can be recorded and uploaded to Blackboard so students can self-reflect, and learn from, their performances. In addition, students are expected to observe local courts. Both written and oral advocacy will be examined on an individual basis, with no group assessment. The unit aims to:<ul> <li>Examine the role of written and oral advocacy in the legal process.</li> <li>Enhance self-confidence in public speaking.</li> <li>Improve the cogency of students' legal and factual analysis.</li> <li>Develop questioning, independent research, and drafting skills.</li> <li>Enhance students' ability to persuade orally and in writing by reasoned argument in a courtroom setting.</li> <li>Develop an awareness of legal rules and procedures in the context of high ethical standards.</li></ul>   <ul> <li style="margin-right:19px; margin-bottom:1px">Know how to structure persuasive legal argument;</li> <li>Understand the manner in which legal submissions should be made and responded to;</li> <li>Understand and observe the rules of professional conduct, inside and outside the courtroom.</li></ul> <ul> <li style="margin-right:11px; margin-bottom:1px">Present and respond to legal argument, both orally and in writing;</li> <li>Effectively persuade;</li> <li>Critically analyse the law and formulate legal argument at the appellate level.</li></ul> <ul> <li style="margin-right:11px; margin-bottom:18px">Display confidence when addressing an audience;</li> <li>Advocate at a sensible pace, with appropriate tonation.</li></ul> <ul> <li style="margin-right:11px; margin-bottom:18px">Whether students enter the legal profession or not, their knowledge and development of the art of advocacy will be readily transferable to any profession</li></ul> This is second semester unit will be delivered through lectures and small group fortnightly workshops, as well as directed and independent learning. The direct contact hours consist of:Lectures: 10 hoursRecorded external lectures: 10 hoursWorkshops: 2hrs x 5wks = 10 hoursCourt observation: 5 hoursE-learning: 2hr (deductive and inductive reasoning tests) = 2 hoursTotal: 37 hoursWe will use real life scenarios in criminal and civil law that closely simulate legal practice. Applying the lecture content and directed learning, students will practise and develop their advocacy skills through a range of tasks in a courtroom atmosphere. Questioning technique will be taught to enable students to apply their knowledge. The role of advocacy in the making of court applications and the development of legal argument will then be explored and practised. The tutor will give individual feedback on performances, with time for self-reflection upon reviewing the recorded workshop.  0 Other 100% Oral advocacy exam - 20 minutes - 50% Written work  - 2000 words - 50%   LAWS10111 Legal systems and skills N See associated reading list 0 0 0 <h1 style="margin-bottom:18px; margin-left:-1px; text-indent:-0.5pt">Open book examination.</h1>InformationRestricted to: Law school students only.Co-requisites: noneTimetableSee Law School timetable